| Director | Janusz Kamiński |
|---|---|
| Budget | $28 million |
| Box office | $31.4 million |
Maya Larkin, a devout Roman Catholic who works as a schoolteacher for a New York City diocese, accompanies Father Lareaux, Father Jeremy, and John Townsend to a psychiatric clinic to exorcise Henry Birdson, who has been experiencing epileptic seizures and obsessively scribbling a mysterious series of numbers. The exorcism is unsuccessful, however, as Henry falls into a coma and Father Lareaux is weakened. Maya smuggles Henry's notes out and, via polyalphabetic substitution, she translates the numbers and receives the name "Peter Kelson". Maya then learns from television that Peter Kelson is a writer who researches serial killers and studies pathological narcissism and parapsychology.
In the meantime, Peter meets with his family. Over dinner, he shares a repetitive dream in which he is reading a book with the characters "XES" on the cover. Later, one of the priests discovers that it is the Greek number "χεζ", which in its value 22 + 5 + 6, indicates that the incarnation of the devil will meet a man in the minute of his 33rd birthday.
Maya realizes Peter is the chosen personification of the devil. She confronts him with evidence such as his unique blood type, his lack of belief in pure evil, and the fact that his infant baptism was performed by a family member rather than religious clergy. Persuading Peter to participate in an exorcism, Maya approaches him to look for a pentagram under his bed and at the same time, hands him the tape on which Henry's exorcism was recorded. Peter plays the tape in his apartment, but it is silent. Instead, Henry's screams are heard in the neighbor's apartment, and the resident is later found to have killed herself.
Peter shares with his girlfriend, Claire, the pentagram after he discovers it hidden in the false ceiling of the apartment below hers. Instead, Claire pulls out a gun and threatens to shoot Maya, exclaiming that she is delusional and that Peter is being deceived by her. A struggle between both women ensues during which a shot is inadvertently fired, killing Claire.
In order to carry out the exorcism on Peter, they reach out to Father Lareaux. Since Henry's exorcism, Lareaux has become possessed, so an exorcism is carried out on him instead, killing him in the process. As Lareaux lays dying, he tells Peter and Maya to seek Peter's uncle, Father James, who is celebrating mass in a church with members of Peter's family. Peter shoots both his uncle and two other members of his family, before driving off with Maya in his car.
Peter stops his Land Rover under a blocked bridge and hands the gun to his passenger, Maya. At the moment the digital vehicle clock changes to 6:66 a.m., Peter transforms into the human incarnation of Satan and Maya shoots him dead.